Italy: Türkiye’s Medcem Group has commissioned a new cement terminal at the Port of Trieste, strengthening its footprint in Europe and providing direct access to the Italian, Slovenian and Croatian markets. The Trieste terminal has been developed through a partnership with Seadock, part of the Samer Group, reviving previously underutilised port infrastructure and converting it into a modern bulk cement logistics facility. The project represents a brownfield investment of more than €3m. The facility is equipped with an unloading system that enables bulk cement to be transferred directly from vessels into storage silos via an underground pipeline. The terminal is expected to add around 120,000t/yr of cargo capacity to the port.

Brazil: Cement sales in December 2025 reached 4.9Mt, up by 5% year-on-year, according to data from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Total cement sales for 2025 amounted to 67Mt, a year-on-year increase of 4%, equivalent to an additional 2.4Mt compared to 2024.

The performance consolidated the recovery that began in 2024, when sales rose by 4%. Despite the improvement, volumes remain below the historical peak of 73Mt recorded in 2014. All regions showed cumulative growth during the year, led by the Northeast at 7%, followed by the North at 4%, South at 3%, Southeast at 3% and Midwest at 2%.

SNIC said that a strong labour market supported demand, with unemployment falling to 5% in November 2025, the lowest level on record, while 103 million people were employed and average income hit a historic high. These factors expanded the wage bill, which has a strong correlation with cement consumption. However, the year was also marked by slowing GDP growth and tight monetary policy. The Selic interest rate (set by the Central Bank of Brazil) stood at 15% from June 2025 onwards, its highest level since July 2006, constraining mortgage lending. High household indebtedness, affecting 49% of income, and record defaults of 80.4 million people in October further pressured household budgets.

In housing, the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) programme remained a key driver for cement demand. By September 2025, housing launches under the programme rose by 7.9% year-on-year, while sales increased by 16%. The North stood out, with MCMV accounting for 60% of new launches, while the Southeast recorded the highest number of units launched, at 34,000 properties in the third quarter of 2025.

On sustainability, SNIC said that Brazil continues to have one of the lowest cement carbon intensities globally, at 580kg CO₂/t. Co-processing reached 30% of the sector’s energy mix in 2025, equivalent to 3Mt of waste and biomass, avoiding 2.8Mt of CO₂ emissions.

“The performance of the Brazilian cement industry in 2025 was in line with SNIC's projections, supported by the MCMV programme and the advancement in infrastructure, strengthening concrete pavement as a strategic and sustainable solution. We also celebrate the success of our environmental agenda, with a record in co-processing and the launch of the Net Zero Roadmap during COP 30. We closed the year consolidating the recovery, but attentive to the economic situation, especially the Selic rate and the impact of indebtedness on family income,” said Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC.

Vietnam: Distributors and retailers have been notified that a new round of cement price increases will take effect on 11 January 2026, with the adjustment mainly affecting bagged cement. Multiple producers are implementing the increases, including Vicem Ha Tien, SCG Vietnam and Insee Vietnam. According to price notices circulated to distributors, the adjustments reflect continued pressure from high input costs, particularly energy, transport and raw materials. The increases are expected to have a direct impact on short-term construction costs, especially for civil engineering works and projects entering the construction phase at the start of 2026. However, distributors said the move had largely been anticipated by the market and was unlikely to cause major disruption, as demand typically begins to recover after the Lunar New Year.

Bangladesh: Production at Chhatak Cement is expected to resume soon following a modernisation of the plant by converting it from a wet process to a dry process manufacturing system, according to Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser for industries and local government, rural development and cooperatives. Khan said the revival of the facility would improve efficiency and sustainability, according to local press.